How Can I Keep My pH Stable in My Environment?

[nickkohrn]

My initial nitrogen cycle is nearing its completion, but I’m having trouble with my pH. I need some advice on keeping it stable.

I live in Ohio, and the temperatures fluctuate drastically with the seasons, and even between days. The temperature was in the upper-70s (°F) last week, but it’s in the mid-80s (°F) this week. My wife likes to open the windows when the temperature is in the 70s, which is nice, but we close them and use the air conditioning when it’s hotter.

My issue is that my pH drops to 7.2-7.4 when the windows are closed and the air conditioner is on. However, my pH raises to 7.8 when the air conditioner is off and the windows are open. Since we are in the season to where it’s different each day, I’m not sure what to do. I don’t want to add any livestock to the tank until I have the pH under control.

I have a 20g AIO, so I don’t have the room for a skimmer, and I wouldn’t be able to run a hose outside for it, if I had one, because we live in an apartment. I don’t think our landlord would like me drilling through any walls.

What can I do to keep the pH stable in this environment? I’m not worried so much about the number; I’m worried about the stability.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Your measured pH seems too low to be possible. How are you testing pH? At pH below 7.5 - 7.6, your rock and stony corals will start to dissolve to buffer the water. It's very unusual to see pH that low under normal conditions.

 

[nickkohrn]

Your measured pH seems too low to be possible. How are you testing pH? At pH below 7.5 - 7.6, your rock and stony corals will start to dissolve to buffer the water. It's very unusual to see pH that low under normal conditions.

That’s what I keep hearing, but I keep measuring and getting the same results. I can easily determine when my pH will drop; it always happens when I close the windows and turn the air conditioner on.

I’m using an API test kit, and I’m matching it with my Apex pH measurements. It’s absolutely predictable when I test; I can guess what the pH will be during a test based on whether I’ve had the windows open or not. I’ve even recalibrated my Apex twice to make sure that it is working as expected.

I’m at a loss.

 

[klesel]

Kalk will help keep your ph up plus help with alk and cal. If you dont have a big consumption of cal or alk can be all you need to dose . I use it in conjunction with my cal reactor to keep my ph at 8.3

 

[nickkohrn]

Kalk will help keep your ph up plus help with alk and cal. If you dont have a big consumption of cal or alk can be all you need to dose . I use it in conjunction with my cal reactor to keep my ph at 8.3

I currently have no livestock in the tank since it’s still nearing the end of the initial nitrogen cycle. I’ll definitely look into adding kalkwasser to my automatic top-off reservoir.

 

[klesel]

Ya I would it's great been using it for years and it's cheap. Just dont dose large amounts at a time be careful with it but a great thing

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

That’s what I keep hearing, but I keep measuring and getting the same results. I can easily determine when my pH will drop; it always happens when I close the windows and turn the air conditioner on.

I’m using an API test kit, and I’m matching it with my Apex pH measurements. It’s absolutely predictable when I test; I can guess what the pH will be during a test based on whether I’ve had the windows open or not. I’ve even recalibrated my Apex twice to make sure that it is working as expected.

I’m at a loss.

That pH is dropping is not a surprise. When people close up their homes, a pH drop is expected. The difference here is the drop's endpoint is so low. Usually, the pH drops to close to 7.6 - 7.8, not 7.2.

Does adding an airstone to the tank change the pH reading? What happens if you take a cup of tank water outside, aerate it for about 10 minutes with an air pump, then measure pH again?

 

[nickkohrn]

That pH is dropping is not a surprise. When people close up their homes, a pH drop is expected. The difference here is the drop's endpoint is so low. Usually, the pH drops to close to 7.6 - 7.8, not 7.2.

Does adding an airstone to the tank change the pH reading? What happens if you take a cup of tank water outside, aerate it for about 10 minutes with an air pump, then measure pH again?

I’ve tried taking it outside for a bit, and it goes back up to ~8.2. I haven’t added an air store to the tank because I figured that it wouldn’t make a difference since it’s still the same in-home air being injected into the water. I read a pH of ~8.2 when I mix fresh saltwater, but it drops after being in the apartment. I’ve tested this by using two 5g buckets of freshly-mixed saltwater. I’ve left one open and one closed with a lid. The one with the lid stays around 8.2 while the one without a lid drops.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I too do not believe pH 7.2 is accurate.

 

[nickkohrn]

I too do not believe pH 7.2 is accurate.

What can I do to get a more accurate reading when my test kit and Apex are reading the same?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Take a sample to your LFS or if you know someone with a test kits such as hanna or salifert- Ask them to check it for you to compare readings

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What can I do to get a more accurate reading when my test kit and Apex are reading the same?

Stop using them [emoji3]

Seriously, pH kits are not useful (there’s no easy way to check for accuracy).

The controllers like apex have apparent issues measuring pH in some cases.

You should be able to pull the probe out of the water and get the same value in a plastic cup (try it). PH 7 and 10 buffers should also read correctly that way (I assume that’s how you calibrated it in the first place?

 

[nickkohrn]

Stop using them [emoji3]

Seriously, pH kits are not useful (there’s no easy way to check for accuracy).

The controllers like apex have apparent issues measuring pH in some cases.

You should be able to pull the probe out of the water and get the same value in a plastic cup (try it). PH 7 and 10 buffers should also read correctly that way (I assume that’s how you calibrated it in the first place?

Correct; I used the pH 7 and 10 buffers that came with the Apex. I also have additional packets of them for future use. The concerning part for me is that the Apex read correctly when I had the probe in the buffer solutions during calibration.

Should I just forego testing pH altogether? I don’t want to chase numbers. I just want stability so that I can add some livestock once the initial nitrogen cycle has completed.

 

[Christopher Presley]

Make a co2 reactor, I’m in Toledo and have similar issues. I used a phosban 550 reactor and it’s the perfect size for the media bags I get of amazon. My PH went from low being 7.7 to now consistently 8.1.

 

[Stigigemla]

If You have R/O only water the values are OK or even a bit high. If not I wonder how low a kH can be?